Educational Science

Planet's Population Hit 6.5 Billion Saturday

A population milestone is about to be set on this jam-packed planet. On Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7:16 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, the population here on this good Earth is projected to hit 6.5 billion people. Along with this forecast, an analysis by the International Programs Center at the U.S....

Marine Mammals Suffer Human Diseases

ST. LOUIS—Parasites from cat feces are causing deadly brain damage in California sea otters. A combination of toxic chemicals and herpes virus is killing off California sea lions. And toxic algae blooms are contributing to record manatee deaths in Florida. All of these animals live near coastlines, spending a majority...

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)—Authorities are resorting to a risky new method aimed at helping preserve what is believed to be the sunken flagship of the pirate Blackbeard. The Army Corps of Engineers is creating an underwater sand dune to shelter the Queen Anne's Revenge, which sits about 26 feet underwater off...

Sound Science: Pete Townshend Blames Headphones for Hearing Loss

In a widely reported story this week, rock star Pete Townshend blamed his hearing loss on earphones rather than the years of participating in loud concerts with his band, The Who. But what is the science of his claim? Pretty solid. Townshend has spoken of his hearing loss before but...

Frisky Ferrets Bouncing Back

Thanks to conservation efforts and some exceptionally frisky behavior in the wild, the endangered black-footed ferret is making a comeback. Scientists considered the furry creatures extinct as recently as the 1970s, but 120 of the ferrets were found in Wyoming in the mid-1980s. Then in 1985 two disease outbreaks wiped...

Dog Deaths Surpass 100 Despite Toxic Pet Food Recall

At least 100 dogs in the United States have been killed in recent weeks by toxic pet food despite a recall of the products, scientists said today. Some 19 brands of Diamond, Country Value and Professional dog foods have been recalled. But many pet owners are not aware of the...

Mozart's Skull Possibly Found

VIENNA, Austria (AP) —Have scientists found Mozart's skull? Researchers said Tuesday they'll reveal the results of DNA tests in a documentary film airing this weekend on Austrian television as part of a year of celebratory events marking the composer's 250th birthday. The tests were conducted last year by experts at...

Earliest Maya Writings Found

Newly discovered hieroglyphs show that the Maya were writing at a complex level 150 years earlier than previously thought. The glyphs, which date to about 250 BC, were found on preserved painted walls and plaster fragments in the pyramidal structure known as Las Pinturas, in San Bartolo, Guatemala. Las Pinturas...

Something Fishy: How Humans Got So Smart

ST. LOUIS—Human brains are bigger and better than any of our closest living or dead non-human relatives in relation to body weight. Scientists say we have fish and frogs to thank for this. When early humans started to fish, they also began feeding their hungry brains. The arrival of language...

Cannibalism Rife in Mormon Cricket Swarms

Every year, millions of Mormon crickets swarm in a frenzied search for food. Turns out the dinner plate is often heaped with their slower brethren. Mormon crickets aren't actually crickets, but shield-backed katydids, a type of insect more closely related to grasshoppers. However, when Mormon settlers moved into Utah in...